Truth Initiative

Legal name: Truth Initiative Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911956621
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Washington, DC, US
Phone
202-454-5555
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alcohol, Drug Abuse, Prevention Only

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$52,987,573
Expenses
$109,721,541
Assets
$676,326,896
Liabilities
$100,136,676

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATHLEEN CROSBY (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • RALPH LOGAN (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHLEEN CROSBY (PRESIDENT & CEO): $806,207 total reported compensation
  • ANTHONY T O'TOOLE (EVP/CFIO): $800,763 total reported compensation
  • ELIZABETH KENNY (CHIEF MKTG & STRATEGY OFFICER): $543,907 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To prevent youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empower quitting for all.

What it reported doing in 2024

Engagement, activism and partnerships: engagement, activism and partnerships recruits, educates, and mobilizes young people, to take action on smoking, vaping, and nicotine on behalf of truth's policy priorities. We engage high school and college student leaders to educate decision-makers at the community, state, and national level about the impact vaping has on young people.through on-the-ground activism and leadership training programs, truth initiative equips youth to lead change in their communities. On college campuses, we engage students to educate their peers about cessation, advocate for tobacco-free environments, and help ensure their schools remain tobacco-free. Truth initiative also partners with colleges, universities, and student leaders to implement sustainable, campus-wide tobacco-free policies.in addition, we work with schools to educate students about the dangers of nicotine, cannabis, and opioid misuse through truth initiative's evidence-based high school and middle school curriculum, vaping: know the truth, as well as the prescription drug safety: know the truth program. These curricula empower young people with the knowledge and skills to resist harmful substances and make informed choices.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 84.3%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.2%; rating input score 98; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -107.1%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.16; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.9%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -3.2% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 8 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 84.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $92.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $806K · 22 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $39M reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 40 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 34 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 24 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.